Author's Note: Alright, just some quick clarifications on timing so that none of you get lost. This chapter starts off right where the last one left off, four days after Darry's accident. This chapter will end at the point where Darry is waking up in the hospital a little over a week later. The timeline will even out a lot after that and there won't be as many time jumps. Hopefully it's not too confusing! But I really enjoyed this particular chapter so I hope you do too, even if it's a little lengthy. Please review! :)

Chapter Six

Tuesday, September 27

"Pony, you look exhausted."

It was the next morning and Pony and Soda sat in the cafeteria picking at a breakfast of runny eggs, burnt toast and sour tasting orange juice. They had picked a spot at the far end of the room, as secluded a spot as they could get given how crowded the home was. Pony was hunched over in his chair with his head resting in one hand as he moved the runny eggs around his plate with his plastic fork.

"I didn't sleep well," Pony mumbled, not looking up at Soda but still able to tell that his face showed concern.

"You know you'll have to sleep eventually, right?" Soda pointed out.

"I know," Pony snapped, looking up at Soda who looked surprised at his sharp tone. "But what was I supposed to do?"

Soda paused and then sighed. "Yeah, I know," he admitted. He frowned down at his less than appetizing breakfast and as he watched him Pony couldn't help but think of Darry's chocolate cakes. "I'm sorry, Pony."

"Sorry for what?" Pony asked quizzically.

"That I couldn't do more for you last night," Soda said flatly.

"Hey, if I didn't have nightmares like a little kid…" Pony said darkly, letting the thought hang.

"Don't think like that, Ponyboy," Soda said firmly, looking him in the eyes.

Pony just shrugged but didn't reply. He wasn't sure how else he was supposed to think but he just let the subject drop. It wasn't really something he wanted to talk about. He felt jittery and moody and knew if he kept talking about it he was just going to get more worked up and Soda didn't need him biting his head off. He also knew that a big part of the reason for his mood was because he hadn't had a cigarette since yesterday at the hospital. It already seemed like a lifetime ago.

Pony let his gaze fall back down to his plate before he asked his next question. "How do you think Darry's doin'?"

"I dunno," Soda murmured dismally. Clearly he had been trying hard not to think about that. "I'm sure Two-Bit and Steve are lookin' after him."

"Yeah," Pony agreed, though it didn't make him feel much better. None of that would matter if Darry never woke up.

As breakfast ended Pony and Soda both dumped most of their food into the trash, not having much of an appetite for it. They followed the crowd of kids out of the cafeteria, as they had no idea where to go next. As a group they headed down the hall and then entered the room that Mrs. Walters had pointed out as the study hall the day before.

The study hall room didn't look like much. There were desks strewn randomly around the rather large room, most with graffiti scribbled on them, some of them even tipped over. There were a few adults in the room that Pony assumed were supposed to be the tutors, but they didn't look very interested in the boys as they sat at the front of the room and flipped through magazines and talked among themselves. There was a bookshelf with textbooks along one wall and after surveying the chaotic room Pony wandered over to it. Upon closer inspection he was able to find the history textbook from his current class, though the cover had been ripped off. Clearly not many of the boys here had much interest in actually studying and apparently the staff didn't push much for it.

Soda didn't look twice at any of the books and instead just led Pony over to an area near the front of the room. There were a handful of other boys who actually seemed interested in studying gathered at desks up near the tutors. The rest were in the back, throwing things and yelling at each other and just generally horsing around. Pony picked a seat just on the outskirts of the boys who were studying and Soda took a desk next to him, though the desk with shifted to the side so that he could see both the tutors and the group of boys in the back. He leaned back in his chair lazily, looking disinterested as he gazed around the room.

Pony flipped through the worn history book until he found a chapter he didn't recognize. It was a bit difficult to read it with all the graffiti, but somehow he managed to pull a few concepts out of it. As time went on he became absorbed in his task, glad for something as familiar as studying. He thought of how proud Darry would be if he knew.

"Pony!" Pony was startled out of his concentration by Soda's sharp voice. But before he even had a chance to figure out what it meant he was suddenly pulled right out of his seat. A split second later the desk he had been sitting in was knocked over as two boys who were wrestling and shouting at each other slammed into it. He looked up at Soda who had quickly pulled him out of the way and was now watching the fight with hard look on his face that bordered angry, almost as if he wanted to belt them himself. The place was already wearing on both of their nerves and Pony felt uneasy knowing that when Soda got angry he could easily lose control.

A few minutes later a couple of security guards finally came in to break up the fight. Pony watched as Soda's hands, which had been balled up in tight fists, slowly loosened. Silently he moved forward and pulled Pony's desk back upright. Pony tracked down the history textbook that had skidded away and sat back down, though he found it much more difficult to concentrate now.

They returned to the cafeteria for lunch, which was just about as appetizing as breakfast. Afterwards it was announced that it was time for exercise in the yard. Pony was excited at first thinking that he'd finally get a chance to smoke, but then his stomach quickly fell as he remembered that Soda had gotten detention.

"Let's just see if they remember," Soda said, reading Pony's thoughts.

Together they headed toward a back door with the rest of the crowd. For a minute it didn't look like anyone was going to say anything about Soda. Then Mrs. Walters seemed to materialize out of nowhere just as they were stepping outside.

"Inside, Curtis," she said. "You have detention."

Soda sighed heavily. He glanced over at Pony. "Stay out of trouble, okay?" he said in an undertone.

"I will," Pony told him.

Reluctantly he headed back inside with a few other boys that Mrs. Walters had pulled out of the crowd as Pony walked outside. It was chilly out and Pony found himself wishing he had grabbed his jacket from upstairs like it looked like some of the other boys had done. With a quick survey of the yard he saw that many of the boys were blatantly smoking and no one seemed concerned about it, so Pony immediately pulled out his own pack. He lit up as he walked across the fenced in yard, inhaling deeply and feeling the calming smoke enter his lungs. He settled himself into a far corner and watched the other boys. There was a basketball hoop on one end and a group was playing a contact version of the game. Most of the other kids were just milling around in small groups. Pony suddenly felt very isolated standing over by himself, but somehow that didn't really bother him in this situation. He managed to pass most of the time in solitude and he found that vaguely comforting at this point.

"Hey! Twerp!" Pony physically winced at the sound of the voice. He turned to see Mark walking over toward him with three other guys in tow. He felt his stomach drop. "What's a matter? Little baby can't socialize without big brother to protect him?"

"Leave me alone," Pony mumbled.

"No," Mark said simply. "You're too much fun, fresh meat."

Pony took a long drag off his cigarette. "You better leave me alone, or-"

"Or what?" Mark cut him off, suddenly getting right in his face. Pony tried to back up but ran into the chain linked fence behind him. "You gonna go cry to big brother?" Then he reached out and shoved him.

Without really thinking Pony lunged forward and shoved him back. Mark stumbled back into his friends and paused before a cruel smile spread over his face. "Bad move, newbie."

Before Pony could so much as blink he was pinned up against the fence by two of Mark's friends. He struggled, but they were both much older than him and definitely stronger. Mark stepped out and slugged him hard in the stomach, knocking all the air out of him in a pained hiss. He punched him several more times and the hit him hard in the face, sending spots across his vision as he cried out loudly.

"Hey!" He heard a loud, booming voice. Suddenly the guys on either side of him were gone and he was slumping to the ground gasping for breath. He blinked around and saw that one of the security guards had run over and pulled Mark away from him and was pushing him across the yard.

Pony didn't bother getting up. He had lost his cigarette in the fray so he pulled out his pack and took out another even though he only had precious few left. He was shaking slightly as he lit up. He breathed deeply, willing his nerves to calm.

Finally it was time to go back inside. Pony actually felt relieved. He was hurrying back into the home, immediately looking around for Soda. Suddenly he felt very insecure being on his own. It appeared to be free time, so the hallways were chaotic with kids running everywhere. Pony felt a bit panicked as he struggled to locate his brother. Finally he headed upstairs. The room Soda was staying in was empty, and as he headed down the hall to the rec room he found that he wasn't there either. He was standing there wondering where else he could be when he heard the familiar voice.

"Pony!"

Pony felt relief wash over him. He turned and saw Soda making his way down the hall. Pony hurried over to him.

"Where were you?" Pony demanded.

"I was in the study hall room," Soda told him. Then he got a good look at him and gave a start. "What happened?"

Pony gingerly touched the throbbing spot just under his eye. He figured he probably had a pretty good shiner at this point.

"Nothin'," Pony mumbled, looking down at the ground.

Soda grabbed his chin and carefully lifted it back up to get a good look at him. "It sure as hell ain't nothin'. Someone belted you good."

"It's not a big deal," Pony said, trying to sound like he believed that.

"Who did it?" Soda demanded. "Was it that guy from your room? Mark? I swear to God, I'll-"

"No," Pony said quickly cutting off his threat. "Please Soda, just leave it. I don't want you gettin' in anymore trouble 'cause of me."

"Pony…" Soda said reluctantly.

"Please, Soda," Pony pleaded. "Don't make a big deal about this. I don't want you to get detention again and make me go back out there by myself."

Pony knew that logic would get him and was satisfied when Soda sighed in defeat. "Yeah, okay," he finally admitted. "Let's go see if we can find you some ice for that eye."

XxXxX

Tuesday, October 4

Over the course of the next week Pony and Soda were able to mostly stay out of trouble. Mark tried to pick a few fights with Soda, especially out in the yard but Pony was able to pull him away every time. He didn't like how Soda had gotten punished so quickly their first night and he had noticed Mark wasn't punished at all for attacking him in the yard that day; he was simply pulled away and told to stay away from him. Which he didn't. Pony remembered what he had said that first night. "I've been here for eight years. That's longer than some of the guards here. I own this place. Make sure you remember that." Pony had never been one to run from a fight, but that statement had scared him and he was scared for Soda.

Pony had started staying up most nights and then taking naps during their free time in order to keep from having any more nightmares. He had been horrified that first night and wasn't eager to repeat the experience. He and Soda would sit on the floor at one side of the rec room and Pony would lay with his head in Soda's lap as he slept. It was the only way he was able to sleep soundly.

They had been in the home for a little over a week before they were hit by another huge shift in their now unstable lives.

"Ponyboy Curtis? Can I see you please?" The voice floated to them over the noise as everyone was heading into the cafeteria for lunch that day.

Pony looked over at Mrs. Walters wearily. If she came to give them news about Darry she wouldn't just ask for Pony when Soda was standing right next to him. Pony shared a nervous glance with Soda, who had apparently come to the same conclusion that this wasn't a good sign. Soda instinctually moved closer to him.

"I'll come too," he said firmly, looking Mrs. Walters in the eyes.

Mrs. Walters sighed, though she didn't look surprised. "I'd really rather speak with Ponyboy privately."

"Pony?" Soda said, looking over at him.

"I'm not going without Soda," Pony said defiantly.

"Alright," Mrs. Walters said reluctantly, clearly not pleased. That made Pony even more nervous. "Come with me."

Pony stuck close to Soda as they followed Mrs. Walters away from the crowd of kids making their way to the cafeteria. Pony figured they were going to her office and was confused when they walked right by it. He was getting a real uneasy feeling in his stomach and by the look on Soda's face he could tell that he was too. Mrs. Walters finally stopped as they reached the front door of the home. There were two security guards by the entrance as usual and the whole thing suddenly felt very sinister to Pony.

"I have good news for you, Ponyboy," Mrs. Walters said, forcing a smile at him. "We were able to place you in a foster home."

The statement caught Pony by surprised. He glanced at his brother who suddenly looked tense, clearly grasping the situation quicker than Pony. "What about Soda?" Pony asked.

Mrs. Walters glanced at Soda uncomfortably before focusing back on Pony. "Older boys tend to be much more difficult to place, which is why most of them end up just staying here," she explained. "It's not the ideal solution though, so we try and place as many boys as we can."

"Wait…" Pony said slowly as he began to wrap his head around what was really going on. "So Soda's gonna stay here… and I'm gonna go somewhere else?"

"That's correct," she confirmed. "I know it's not ideal in your mind, but I think this will be very good for you, Ponyboy. We're overcrowded here as it is, so you'll get more space and you'll get to go back to a regular school."

Pony shook his head vigorously. "I ain't goin' anywhere without Soda." Pony looked up at Soda for support, but was surprised to see that he was hesitating, looking conflicted. "Right Soda?"

Soda turned so that his back was to Mrs. Walters, leading Pony a step away. "Maybe it would be a good thing," Soda said in a low voice. Pony gave a start. This hadn't been the reaction he was expecting. "Maybe it would be good for you to get away from here and away from Mark and his guys."

Pony openly stared in disbelief. "Soda, no, please," he said, a hint of pleading in his voice. "I… please. It sucks here but I don't wanna go somewhere without you. We're the only family we got left…"

Soda looked at him for a moment before he nodded. "You're right," he said. "Sorry, kiddo, guess I wasn't thinkin'."

Pony let out a sigh of relief. He understood that Soda was trying to protect him, but at least they knew what they were up against here and at least they had each other. There was no telling what kind of foster home they would send Pony to.

They turned back to Mrs. Walters. "He ain't goin'," Soda said firmly.

"This is not up for discussion," Mrs. Walters said stiffly.

"You're right," Soda agreed easily. "Cause he ain't goin'."

"Yes he is," Mrs. Walters said. "The arrangements have already been made."

Pony suddenly realized that his bag was already packed and sitting by the door. Soda seemed to notice that too as his anger flared. "What were you gonna do, take him away without even tellin' me?" he demanded.

"We didn't want a scene," Mrs. Walters said.

"Well you're gonna get one," Soda said loudly, stepping in front of Pony protectively as the security guards started making their way over to them. His face was set, all traces of doubt completely gone. They had already lost Darry, even though they still hoped it wasn't permanent, they couldn't lose each other too.

"I ain't goin' anywhere without Soda," Pony declared as he grabbed onto Soda's arm for security.

"It's already been decided," Mrs. Walters said, starting to get angry.

"I don't give a damn what you think you've decided," Soda shot back harshly. "You're not takin' my brother."

"Step away, son," one of the security guards said firmly.

"Make me," Soda growled dangerously with a hard glare.

Apparently both security guards took this as a challenge or perhaps they took it as a threat. One moved forward and grabbed Soda, forcibly yanking him away as the other took hold of Pony and pulled him in the other direction. This only fueled Soda's anger.

"Get off of me!" Soda yelled as he struggled hard against the security guard's grip. As his temper flared he spun and threw a punch at the guy. He was much bigger than Soda, and didn't appear phased much by the attack, but he immediately retaliated by throwing Soda face down on the floor and pinning his arms up against his back as he dug a knee into his lower back to keep him down. Pony froze and could only stare, shocked at what had just happened.

"That's assault son!" the man growled. "I could press charges and you could go to jail!"

Soda coughed a dry laugh even as he was pinned down and still struggling to get free. "You call that assault?"

The security guard glared at him as he twisted Soda's arms further up his back, causing Soda to clench his jaw in an obvious attempt to keep from crying out in pain.

"Stop!" Pony yelled, horrified at what he was witnessing. He shook himself out of his shock as he began struggling against the man who held him, but to no avail. "Stop! Please, you're hurting him!"

"Will you come with me now?" Mrs. Walters asked, unnervingly calm like what was going on was totally normal.

"Yes, please, just let him go," Pony begged. He was on the verge of panicking as he blinked tears from his eyes.

"You have to come with me first," Mrs. Walters said.

Pony felt his stomach drop as he looked over at Soda, still struggling on the floor as the guard tightened his grip even more. Pony was really afraid he might pull Soda's shoulder out of socket. He already had a bad shoulder from when he had torn a ligament when he used to ride in the rodeo. Soda had to be in more pain than he was letting on. Pony suddenly felt like he had the power to stop this, but he still hesitated. It hurt that he couldn't even have a proper goodbye with his brother. They had taken even that from him.

He took a breath and summoned his courage as he turned from Soda and hurried over to where his bag sat. He picked it up and with one last pained glance at Soda pinned to the ground he followed Mrs. Walters out the front door, with the other security guard following closely behind him. As the door closed behind them Pony wanted nothing more than to burst into tears, but he couldn't do that in front of strangers. So he bit the inside of his cheek hard as he fought for composure. It was difficult to do though. He suddenly felt like he had lost everything. First they were taken away from Darry. Then he was taken away from Soda. He had no one left. How was he supposed to go through all this by himself? He had never been completely on his own like this before. Even when he had run to Windrixville he had Johnny there with him. Now he had no one, he was isolated from the entire gang.

He was hardly aware as he was introduced to the social worker who would be taking him to the foster home. He wondered vaguely where Ms. Daniels was. He climbed into the back seat of the car without a word, slamming the door behind him and then staring dismally out the window. He couldn't imagine how this could possible get any worse.

Author's Note:Okay, now before I get a bunch of angry reviews about how Soda was treated in the boy's home, please keep in mind that this is the 60s. Physical discipline such as paddling and lashings in schools were very normal and well accepted. The concept of child abuse wasn't well defined. Also the social services system wasn't what it is today. In homes for "troubled youth" physical punishments were expected and in some cases even overdone. One particular case that I found was the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Florida, which was actually known for its horrific conditions. As I read about it I found almost as horrific as the Vietnamese POW camps that I am also researching for another story. This incident with Soda was very minor compared to that.